1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to extraction methods, and more specifically to methods for extracting compounds from bananas.
2. The Relevant Technology
The common banana, scientifically known as Musa sapientum, is a tropical fruit grown in the western hemisphere. Primarily viewed as a food source, the banana has a fleshy inside portion surrounded by an outer, typically yellow, peel. The fleshy inside portion, or pulp, is edible when raw, and the peel is usually discarded. When ripe, bananas have a deep yellow rind spotted with brown, and a creamy pulp which is easily digested. Bananas are rich in carbohydrates and contain relatively large amount of vitamins A, B and C and the minerals potassium and phosphorous.
The banana has value in addition to being a food source. The fruit producing tree contains fiber which is used in the production of paper and twine. The peel and pulp have also been utilized to obtain banana essences, which are solutions of aromatic components, essentially free of sugars and solid constituents. Banana essences have been obtained by homogenizing the pulp of a ripened banana, or by an extensive separation and extraction process of the peel.
Some cultures believe that the banana peel provides pain relief, especially from headache pain. However, experts in the field have maintained that there is nothing that is absorbed through the skin from a banana peel that has any effect on a headache. The experts argue that any relief experienced is probably a placebo effect.